QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3ml

Earthquake near Whitehall, MT

No earthquake was likely felt in Whitehall in the 24 hours to 5:29 am MST (12:29 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 21 km (13 mi) SW, at 3:27 am MDT on 25 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Whitehall

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 17 km (10 mi) south-southwest of Whitehall, MT, at 10:21 am MST on 12 January 2024 (17:21 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 16 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 16 km SSW of Whitehall, Montana

10:21 am MST, Jan 12, 2024 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 1.3 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Whitehall Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Silver Bow County 44 kmJefferson County 45 kmMadison County 48 kmGallatin County 79 kmBroadwater County 84 kmDeer Lodge County 88 kmBeaverhead County 88 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
10:21 am MST on 12 January 2024 ()
Where
17 km (10 mi) south-southwest of Whitehall, MT · earthquakes near Whitehall
Montana today
every earthquake in Montana in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.3 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
16 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Silver Bow County, 44 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 970 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 52 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Whitehall, 17 km away, the estimate is intensity III (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Whitehall 17 km, intensity III · Butte 43 km, intensity II · Three Forks 49 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,600× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.3 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.8× more

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.0 on 2016-09-03 — about 12 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.4 Near Butte, Montana · 41 km NW of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 45.7255, -112.1413. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Silver Bow County, MT 44 km (28 mi) WNW earthquakes near Silver Bow County
Jefferson County, MT 45 km (28 mi) N earthquakes near Jefferson County
Madison County, MT 48 km (30 mi) SSE earthquakes near Madison County
Gallatin County, MT 79 km (49 mi) ESE earthquakes near Gallatin County
Broadwater County, MT 84 km (52 mi) NE earthquakes near Broadwater County
Deer Lodge County, MT 88 km (54 mi) WNW earthquakes near Deer Lodge County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

58 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.7 4 km E of Butte, Montana
  2. 2.8 0 km NW of Cardwell, Montana
  3. 1.8 5 km ENE of Butte, Montana
  4. 1.9 4 km E of Butte, Montana
  5. 1.6 5 km ENE of Butte, Montana
  6. 1.7 6 km ENE of Butte, Montana
  7. 1.5 11 km N of Ennis, Montana
  8. 1.8 5 km E of Butte, Montana
  9. 1.6 4 km E of Butte, Montana
  10. 1.8 4 km E of Butte, Montana
  11. 1.6 5 km ENE of Butte, Montana
  12. 1.5 6 km ENE of Butte, Montana
  13. 1.6 6 km E of Butte, Montana
  14. 2.0 4 km E of Butte, Montana
  15. 1.9 4 km E of Butte, Montana

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.